Even after all these years I continue to enjoy SVU and watch it every week, although I have not yet got around to this week's show. As preposterous as the stories are, what the hell, this is television, they are always exciting and usually filled with excellent performances by outstanding actors.

Agreed - while not the #1 priority for the missus & I when it comes to burning off stuff on the DVR these days, we continue to enjoy SVU. Meloni is missed, but the new cast members are starting to click - although we need more Det Munch, IMO. AFAIK, Belzer still mainly resides in France so I wonder if they work his schedule based on when he happens to be in NYC? And it sure seems like Hargitay is in it for the long haul at this point.

Money does not buy happiness. It can, however, buy you a giant boat that you can pull up alongside happiness. - David Lee Roth

I think she was guilty, just a women using her pretty looks to get away with "murder".
Especially with the juror in the stairwell. The Jury was deadlocked like 19 to 1, with the male being the only one who could not decide. Maybe she gave him "something" to make him say no.

I think the writers ended the episode with no ambiguity as to whether she was a conniving whore. She knew very well how to control feeble-minded men (her husband included) for her own deranged benefit.

The Law & Order: SVU star has signed a new deal with Universal Television to continue on the long-running procedural drama, The Hollywood Reporter has learned exclusively.

While a new contract for one of television's top stars could potentially spell good news for a 14th season of the Dick Wolf-produced crime drama, sources close to the show say it doesn't guarantee that the series will return in the fall. NBC is simply locking up Hargitay, who is said to make about $500,000 per episode, in case L&O: SVU is picked up.

The news comes the same week Hargitay touted the rebooted series' new vibe at NBC's Summer Press Day, where she gushed about new cast members Danny Pino and Kelli Giddish and new showrunner Warren Leight.

"This new cast came on and I had no idea what to expect -- and we had a new showrunner," she told reporters Wednesday in Pasadena. "The show this year is awesome and different and has gone into different areas and I get to play different things; my own story of having a boyfriend after 13 years my character has gone on this unbelievable personal journey that is both reflected in her persona life and the story lines."

How big Hargitay's role with the Universal Television-produced series would be this season was a question heading into last fall. However, NBC Entertainment topper Robert Greenblatt later said the actress wouldn't be scaling back her role or leaving the series anytime soon.

Hargitay's former co-star, Christopher Meloni, departed the veteran procedural after its 12th season following prolonged contract talks with the network. In his absence, the drama added a plethora of new characters, including love interests for Hargitay's Detective Olivia Benson played by Harry Connick Jr. and Andre Braugher.

The veteran procedural has seen its ratings slide this season in the wake of Meloni's departure. Wednesday's installment was down 12 percent week-over-week in the advertiser-coveted 18-49 demographic, notching a series low with a 1.5.

I agree that Chloë Sevigny was perfectly cast as a lying, manipulative sex freak. As a retired trial lawyer, I did see a couple of things done for dramatic effect, which I don't believe would happen in real life. First, for many years courts have gone out of their way to prevent any interaction whatsoever between litigants and jurors. This goes double in criminal trials. In short, I thought the chance meeting in the stairwell between the accused and the juror was so unlikely it beggared belief.

Second, the guilt of the accused was so clear cut, it seems to me that no DA's office would hesitate for a second before deciding to retry her. Anyway, it was a fun episode and it was fun to see so many fine actors whose work I have admired on other shows. Sevigny was a regular on Big Love and Rich Sommer is still a regular on Mad Men, as is Shawn Hatosy on Southland.

It's been an explosive year in the SVU squad room. Detective Stabler departed just before I took over as showrunner. Two engaging new detectives, Amanda Rollins (Kelli Giddish) and Nick Amaro (Danny Pino), came in. Two great ADAs (Cabot and Novak) returned. Even with the turnover, I wondered at first how we'd keep a 12-year-old show relevant. I brought in dozens of experts to talk to our writers' room. We began to plot. And then something strange began to happen ... out there. All summer long, week after week, stories broke about powerful men behaving badly or abusing their power. Sometimes we were ripping from the headlines, but just as often it felt like the headlines were ripping from us. Either way, we were trying to explore issues that were increasingly in the zeitgeist.

Our season premiere, "Scorched Earth," in which a foreign diplomat allegedly raped a hotel maid, contained fictional twists that "came to life" as the case against Dominique Strauss-Kahn continued to unfold. We actually had to rewrite several times when real twists in the case broke that too closely mirrored those of our script.

Another episode, "Personal Fouls," focused on a high school basketball coach who had been molesting the young boys in his summer leagues -- including some who went on to be NBA all-stars. The episode aired about four weeks before the case against Jerry Sandusky at Penn State broke in the news, followed by a number of similar stories at high schools and colleges across the country. This episode, like many others, helped raise awareness of the challenges faced by survivors and law enforcement in these complicated cases.

This year's squad room shake-up also allowed us to take Detective Olivia Benson to exciting and unfamiliar places. Though she has by now developed a solid partnership with Detective Amaro, she initially reacted to Stabler's departure by becoming a bit of a lone wolf in the squad. Her "untethered" emotional state opened her up to new experiences and new points of view. Her friendship with defense attorney Bayard Ellis (Andre Braugher) has given her more perspective on the cases she investigates, forcing her to examine both sides before rushing to judgment. Her relationship with David Haden (Harry Connick Jr.), her first serious love interest in years, has allowed her to take a step back and examine her life choices, her career, and her own happiness for a change. And while she continues to teach and learn from her new co-workers, she hasn't forgotten the lessons she learned from her old partner. She can still be tough when needed.

This week's episode, "Street Revenge," is a perfect example of Benson showing her muscle. While running the investigation of a high-profile serial rapist, Benson takes on a new leadership role as spokesperson for the Special Victims Unit, working to catch the rapist, support his victims, and keep an outraged community calm, all at the same time. And when she's out in the field, she hasn't forgotten how to use force -- when necessary.

[CLICK LINK BELOW TO SEE "SVU" CLIP]

It's been a fresh and surprising season, for those working on the show as well as those watching. Following -- and sometimes leading -- the news cycle has provided inspiration for unique stories as well as the chance to tackle some controversial issues: We've looked at the culpability of perpetrators with diminished brain capacity; the risk of coerced confessions that can put innocent people in prison; the unprecedented expansion of New York's DNA database; the use of back-page ads to facilitate sex trafficking.

The opportunity to reboot a long-running show by introducing new characters and exploring new sides of familiar ones wasn't just a bonus; it was the foundation on which we built our stories and ripped from the headlines. At the end of the day, episodes don't work if they are only about issues. We have to tell stories about real people -- victims, survivors, criminals -- and about the toll these cases take on the "dedicated detectives who investigate these vicious felonies."

Warren Leight is the Executive producer and showrunner of Law & Order: SVU.

Despite ratings declines this season, NBC is bringing back the Dick Wolf drama, as well as picking up a second series from the veteran producer Chicago Fire.

SVU will return for a 14th season on the network. Chicago Fire is described as an action-driven drama exploring the complex and heroic men and women of the Windy City's Fire Department. OK, so that doesn't tell you very much. It stars Teri Reeves, David Eigenberg, Charlie Barnett, Lauren German, Monica Raymund, Taylor Kinney, Jesse Spencer, Eamonn Walker and Merle Dandridge.

I agree with earlier posters who have observed that this week's guest cast was especially good. I also agree that the manipulative bitch-goddess teacher who abused her student is very likely dead. In this regard, I am reminded of what some of the good old Texas boys used to say, "She needed killin'."

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit: Benson and Amaro (Mariska Hargitay, Danny Pino) are cautioned to tread carefully when investigating the death of an underage escort at a bachelor party, as there were some big names on the guest list. A former colleague (Dean Winters), who’s now working under cover helps the investigation in the season finale (10 p.m. NBC).

Holy s***, are they bringing back Det. Cassidy from season 1? Winters has returned to the "L&O" universe on "Criminal Intent," but he was playing a completely different character. Since the show was close to not being renewed this year it makes sense they'd go back to the S1 well and bring an original "SVU" cast member in case this ended up being the series finale. Can't wait to see how Munch interacts with Cassidy 13 years after they were partners.

Really enjoyed the season finale. I thought the Godfather-like scene in which Captain Cragen found the bloody dead hooker in his bed was a great way to finish the season. Also enjoyed seeing the very funny Allstate raccoon guy Dean Winters in a serious dramatic role again. Winters is equally good in comedic and dramatic parts.

Dworkin (the character) never appeared on "SVU" though, only on the mothership. You're right, it was a hoot to see the actor applying his thing to a sleazy high-class pimp. That, to me, was the weakest aspect of this otherwise good episode: not enough time with these characters (the high-class escort owners powerful-enough to stage all the mayhem) and the fact they were so normal. These roles clamored for juicy guest actors that chew scenery and be camera hogs/divas, and instead we got vanilla-flavored female and Dworkin from "L&O."

BTW, if "SVU" had ended on Wednesday's episode, it would have sucked so bad for a show this good to end on such a mother of a cliffhanger.

Did you vow to stop watching "Criminal Minds" when Paget Brewster left? If so, NBC would like to invite you to watch her on "Law & Order: SVU" when it premieres on Sept. 26 -- opposite the premiere of "Criminal Minds."

The two-hour "Law & Order" episode -- which also looks like a naked grab for the Brewster fans in the "Criminal Minds" audience -- will air opposite the one-hour premiere of the CBS procedural.

Brewster announced her exit from "Criminal Minds" last season, for the second time. She joined the series in its second season, left briefly during season six, and returned for the seventh season. The season premiering Sept. 26 will be the show's eighth. "SVU" is starting its fourteenth season.

Brewster, who played Emily Prentiss on “Criminal Minds,” will guest star on "SVU" as the head of the DA’s Public Integrity Unit. She will handle the case against Captain Cragen (Dann Florek), who is under suspicion of murder.

This week is the Season Premier? Is it tonight or Thursday?
Can't wait!

Quote:

Originally Posted by BoilerJim

Uhhh, September 26 is NEXT week.

I'll be there. I continue to be amazed by Law & Order SVU's ability to retain its high quality season after season. I watch a lot of police procedurals but almost always end up wandering off after a few seasons. This show, though, manages somehow to always seem fresh. I keep hoping that they won't end up sticking around for a year too long.